Traveling to San Diego? - Where to Stay

Anytime I travel to a new city, I am always worried that I am going to be staying in the wrong part of town or that I made the wrong choice. It ends up not being to much of an issue in most cities, but San Diego is definitely one city that offers a variety of atmospheres and can make or break your stay depending on what you are looking for. So based on certain categories, here are my recommendations.

The first question that you have to ask yourself is do you want to be ON the beach. If you do want to stay directly on the beach, you really only have a few options. There are a few hotels that are near the beach or are on the bay, but don't let those hotels fool you. Also, many of the hotels on the beach are not the most clean hotels. So for beach hotels your choices will be Hotel Del Coronado or Tower 23. These hotels are on the pricier side but its all about location. The Hotel Del Coronado is on Coronado island which is at least a 15 minute drive to anywhere else in San Diego. Cornado island is a small quiet area that has some of the most expensive houses in the county. This hotel would be good for families and couples looking for quiet evenings. Tower 23 is located in Pacific Beach which is one of the biggest party areas. This hotel is one of the newer hotels in San Diego and caters to more of the under 30 crowd. All of PB comes alive at night with crowds of people going to bars and restaurants. Don't stay here if you aren't interested in the party scene. And this hotel is not very kid friendly.

If you don't mind staying a little bit off the beach, your options open up dramatically. The next question then becomes whether or not you want to be in an urban area. All of the downtown hotels have been built in the last few years and have big names like the W, sheraton, Hilton, Omni, etc. All of these hotels offer high rise hotels right in the midst of downtown. The good and bad of the "Gaslamp" (main couple streets downtown) area is that you have a lot of food and bar options in walking distance, but you don't get a real California feel. Most people come to California for the palm trees, the waves, and the weather. Other than the weather, you don't get any of these in the gaslamp. But there are also those who prefer to stay in a downtown setting to feel close to the action. The evening crowd downtown is a little older and nicer dressed than the Pacific Beach crowd, but it still is under 40. Again, if you are coming to San Diego with your family, the Gaslamp area is probably not the best area for you. If you are coming with a significant other and want lots of upscale restaurant and bar options in an urban setting, this might be a good place. Just know, no matter where you stay in San Diego, the Gaslamp quarter is no more than 20 minutes away.

Another popular area for hotels is called Hotel Circle. This area is where you will be able to find most of the affordable places. This area isn't next to anything but it's close to everything. Also known as Mission Valley, this area is 15 minutes away from anywhere you will be going on your trip. Whether it's the beach, Coronado, downtown, Sea World, or Shopping, you will be a short drive to all of it. So for families it's pretty nice if you are planning lots of trips and not much time in the hotel. Since you are near everything, it won't fee like a hassle getting anywhere.

The other couple areas to consider would be Mission Bay or La Jolla. Mission Bay has several hotels that overlook the bay. I warn that the bay is not really safe to swim in because the water quality isn't very good. You may see people do it, but I don't recommend it. Of the hotels in Mission Bay area, The Dana Hotel tops my list. This is an older hotel that went through some additions. If you are staying at the Dana, make sure you get rooms in the new wing. The are a little more expensive, but the views of the bay are nice and the rooms are much bigger. Also, just outside the rooms are fire pits that you can legally have a bond fire in at night. It's a nice touch. As for La Jolla, this is the one of the richest areas of San Diego. The one issue is that it is the farthest north of the bunch. La Jolla has some nice family beaches but no real hotels on the water. The places you can stay along the water are a little on the older side. The Lodge at Torrey Pines is one of the newer hotels in La Jolla but has no beach access and other that Torrey Pines golf course has no other attractions near it. If you are looking for a nicer hotel, I would say to stay at the Hotel Del Coronado. That hotel has a lot of history and you can spend the day just out your door.

Overall, there are a lot of options in San Diego but with a little area knowledge you should be able to make your trip that much more enjoyable. So use this guide to help you decide where you want to stay in San Diego.